Drive train reliability

[JoeRet]

Good Evening all - new member looking for input on drive train reliability. I'm looking for comments from owners that have had issues and info on how many miles one can expect to get from a drivetrain before failure requiring replacement of either the engine or transmission. You help will be appreciated as I am about to enter the market looking to buy a Class B.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by JoeRet

Good Evening all - new member looking for input on drive train reliability. I'm looking for comments from owners that have had issues and info on how many miles one can expect to get from a drivetrain before failure requiring replacement of either the engine or transmission. You help will be appreciated as I am about to enter the market looking to buy a Class B.

For Sprinters specifically:
The drivetrain per se is by all accounts extremely robust. People routinely get hundreds of thousands of miles virtually trouble-free. The problem is the emissions systems, which are finicky and expensive to repair once they are out of the 5-year warranty. Things seem to be getting better in the last couple of years--and replacement sensors have been repeatedly revised for increased reliability.
But it is worth taking into account.

[JoeRet]

Would I rather replace pistons/rings or replace an O2 sensor or cam shaft position sensor????
Thanks for your quick reply.

[booster]

Originally Posted by JoeRet

Would I rather replace pistons/rings or replace an O2 sensor or cam shaft position sensor????
Thanks for your quick reply.

You are thinking about a normal emission system like on a gasser. The MB diesel stuff is way more complicated and trouble prone. Also very likely to need to go to the very expensive dealer.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by booster

You are thinking about a normal emission system like on a gasser. The MB diesel stuff is way more complicated and trouble prone. Also very likely to need to go to the very expensive dealer.

Sometimes far far away.

Bud

[JoeRet]

As I was reading the latest posts, it occurred to me that buying/owning an RV may be like owning a boat - best two days of ownership - the day I buy it, the day I sell it.
I owned a MB car a couple of years ago and I got very upset everytime I went to the dealer for scheduled maintenance. Those folks could come up with a list of stuff, of course not warranty/not scheduled maintenance items, for me to replace. When I sold the car, which was a nice car I liked it, but - the cost of ownership was just crazy.
Thanks for the replies and the thoughts - maybe a "gasser" is the better deal.

So, which manufacturer would be the best bet for a gasoline engine, which engine would be better and with what type of transmission???

[booster]

The only gasser class b that is still, barely, in production is the Chevy Express based versions at Roadtrek or a custom builder. They have a very reliability history. The no longer produced Dodges and Fords also were reliable.

Currently, you would be looking at the Promaster Dodge or Ford Transit, both of which have have engines that have been around quite a while and been quite good in other applications. Neither have a long history of dragging around a fully loaded class b yet. The Ford engines have been used in a lot of pickups, so that helps, but pickup drivers who haul a lot get diesels most of the time, so may not apply. The Dodge history is mostly in minivans with the same front drive configuration as the Promaster. Both have done well so far. My guess would be the weakest part might be the Promaster's transmission and front drive components as, AFAIK, they have never used that setup to pull that much weight, all the time. But that is just a guess. If I had a choice, I would likely chose the Ford based on their truck experience history.